When should a freelancer charge a deposit (and how much)

You've just closed a €5,500 brand identity project. The client is excited, the brief is signed, and you're about to open a new Figma file. The question that should stop you first: have you collected a deposit yet?

Most deposit advice for freelancers is vague ("always get something upfront"). This guide gives you four concrete triggers, two percentage rules, and the exact moment to send the invoice so the conversation never gets awkward.

The four situations that demand a deposit

Not every project needs the same deposit logic. These are the scenarios where skipping one will cost you.

1. Any new client, full stop

You have no payment history with them. One missed final payment on a €4,000 UI project wipes out a month of work. A 40-50% deposit on that first engagement limits your downside to something you can absorb while you build trust.

2. Projects above €3,000

Below that threshold, most designers absorb the risk of a bad payer and survive. Above it, a disputed or ghosted final invoice becomes a cash flow crisis. Set a hard rule: any project over €3,000 gets a deposit invoice before work begins, regardless of who the client is.

3. High IP-creation work (brand, illustration, custom typefaces)

When you're building something that cannot be repurposed if the client walks, your leverage disappears the moment you deliver. A logo suite, a full brand system, a custom icon library: these are assets that have zero resale value to you once designed for a specific brand. Price the risk in upfront.

4. Tight timelines that block other work

A client who needs a landing page redesign in 10 days is asking you to hold capacity. If they cancel on day 7, you've turned away other work for nothing. A rush deposit (sometimes called a "hold fee") compensates you for that opportunity cost.

How much to charge: two rules that cover most cases

Rule 1: 50% upfront for project work. For a fixed-price project (brand, print, product design), 50% upfront and 50% on delivery is the cleanest structure. On a €6,000 project, that's €3,000 to start. You cover your tools, your time buffer, and the first round of revisions before you've shipped anything.

Rule 2: One month's fee upfront for ongoing retainers. If you're moving a client onto a monthly retainer (say, €1,800/month for ongoing UI work), collect the first month before you begin. That single payment establishes the payment pattern and covers you if they cancel mid-cycle without notice.

What about partial deposits?

Some clients push back on 50%. If the project is long (3+ months) or the client is a known brand with a procurement process, a 30% deposit with a mid-project milestone payment is reasonable. But 30% should be your floor. Anything less and you're essentially providing credit.

The exact moment to send the deposit invoice

This is where most designers lose the momentum. You close the deal on a call, say you'll send the contract and invoice over, and then the client cools off for three days while your invoice sits in drafts.

The rule: send the deposit invoice the same day the contract is signed, ideally within the hour. Excitement fades fast. A client who agrees to 50% upfront on Tuesday morning is far less likely to push back if the invoice arrives Tuesday afternoon.

What to write on the deposit invoice itself

Keep it unambiguous. Use a line description like: "Project deposit: Brand identity — 50% of total project fee (€5,500). Balance of €2,750 due on final delivery."

That single line removes every "what am I paying for?" question and sets the expectation for the second payment before the client has even clicked pay.

For clients in the UK or EU who are VAT-registered businesses, apply the correct VAT treatment to the deposit invoice, not just the final one. If you're VAT-registered and invoicing a UK client, VAT applies to the deposit amount. If you're invoicing an EU B2B client from another EU country, the reverse-charge rule applies, and you'll need the client's VAT number on the deposit invoice too.

The one thing that makes deposits less awkward

Deposits feel uncomfortable because most designers frame them as a trust issue ("I need this in case you disappear"). Reframe it as a project-start condition: work begins when the deposit clears.

That's not a negotiation. It's a workflow. Clients who've worked with professional designers before expect it. Clients who push back hard on a standard 50% deposit are often telling you something useful about how the rest of the project will go.

A good deposit policy isn't defensive. It's the first signal that you run a serious practice.